Labels came up with two markers: "AI" and "ai". The difference is huge

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said in July 2026 that they want to roll out a system for marking tracks made with artificial intelligence, together with Spotify and Apple Music. The proposal sets out two separate markers for two very different situations.

"AI" versus "ai"

The first marker is the word "AI" in capital letters on a black background. It goes on tracks built entirely by a model from a text prompt. It also goes on tracks where the lead vocal was synthesised by machine or key instrument parts were generated. The second is "ai", in lowercase, black on white, for songs made mostly by human hands that used AI help at specific stages. The system is meant to work like the adult content warning already in the services: the marker appears on the track page, and the artists, labels and distributors fill in the data themselves. For now the markers do not cover lyrics, compositions, music videos or cover art. The Recording Academy, the actors' and presenters' union SAG-AFTRA, the Human Artistry Campaign and the independent labels' association A2IM have also joined the project. It is a broad coalition, and a signal that the industry would rather set the standard itself before regulators do.

Sony counts percentages

In parallel, the majors are building tools to prove what went into a track. Sony Group has developed technology that can show what copyrighted music was used to create a track generated by AI. The system does not stop at a yes or no answer. It can estimate the contribution of individual bodies of work. It might state, for example, that a track uses 30 percent Beatles music and 10 percent Queen. If the model's developer agrees to cooperate, Sony pulls data from its underlying system. If the developer refuses, the technology compares the generated track with existing music and estimates the shares that way. The goal is a mechanism that would split revenue from AI music among the original authors in proportion to their contribution. The technology was built at Sony AI, the group's research unit, and its description was accepted at an international scientific conference. The same team developed a method to stop models from imitating the style of anime characters, for example from Studio Ghibli. The solution also works for video, games and characters. Sony says it has not yet decided whether to deploy it.

In Japan, music rights are split: composers, publishers and performers hold rights, and the makers of recordings separately. Sony Group controls large labels and publishers, including half of Michael Jackson's catalogue. It has not only the technology but also an interest in making the accounting work.